Thiruvananthapuram: As Omicron causes panic across the world, about 5,000 teachers in Kerala are hesitant to take the Covid-19 vaccination on religious grounds.

Kerala has over 1.60 lakh teachers and 20,000 non-teaching staff, sources said.

State General Education Minister V. Sivankutty has termed it as a matter of concern. He said non-vaccination of teachers means health risk for 47 lakh students and the people in the State.

“It was noticed that some teachers are coming to the schools without taking the Covid vaccine. This cannot be justified and supported,” the Minister told newspersons here on Sunday.

When a large number of population is co-operating with the vaccination drive, these kind of hesitancy by a section of teachers on religious grounds will not be justified, he added.

The Pinarayi Vijayan Government will take all possible steps and precautionary measures against the spread of various variants of Covid-19, he said.

Major religions in the US, Israel, Russia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE have extended their support to Covid vaccination after they too faced these types of hesitancy on religious grounds.